Who else loves these warm Octobers? Ticks, yellowjackets and the rest of the Insect World

Oct. 12—Ah, October.

Think cooler temperatures, shorter days, fall colors, football, apple cider, pumpkins, Halloween costumes, trick-or-treaters, and mayflies emerging from Lake Erie.

Mayflies what?

That's right.

While not unprecedented, highly unusual sightings of mayflies have been made in October by none other than two of western Lake Erie's top scientists, George Bullerjahn, director of Bowling Green State University's Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, and Christine Mayer, a University of Toledo ecology professor and faculty member at UT's Lake Erie Center in Oregon.

"I was on Kelleys Island on Friday and a couple mayflies landed on me," Mr. Bullerjahn said. "I have never seen them anywhere near as late as this."

Normally, it's a stretch for mayflies to continue emerging from Lake Erie into September.

As you may have guessed by now, this has been anything but a normal October.

Monday's high of 85 degrees fell just shy of toppling the record high of 87 degrees set in 1928.

Even so, October, 2021 has been filled with funky, unexpected warmth well into the 80s and, according to a Facebook post Monday by 13abc meteorologist Ross Ellet, the region "may still end up with the hottest October on record" even if the second half of the month returns to more normal October temperatures.

The first 10 days of the month have been more than 10 degrees warmer than average, Mr. Ellet said.

According to the National Weather Service, area temperatures should continue to be in the 70s through Friday. The projected highs for Saturday and Sunday are 63 and 62 degrees, respectively.

In other words, there's not exactly an imminent threat of frost.

That's big news for the insect world.

Dan Pavuk, a board certified entomologist at BGSU, said the mayfly sightings are somewhat anecdotal.

Nobody knows for sure if there's a cause-and-effect between a warmer Lake Erie and late-blooming mayflies.

"It's kind of unusual, but not unprecedented," Mr. Pavuk said. "It's not like during the spring, when they end up everywhere."

But those yellowjacket wasps that people often confuse with fat and furry bees?

Oh, yeah. They're enjoying this weather.

Same with mosquitoes and many other pests which are hanging around longer.

"There's been no frost," Mr. Pavuk said. "That's causing the insect activity."

According to Climate Central, a national group of scientists and journalists providing facts about Earth's changing climate and its impact on the public, the Toledo area is experiencing far more mosquito days per year than it did just in the 1980s and the trend is expected to worsen as the planet continues to warm.

"Really, any insect," Mr. Pavuk said. "We're seeing changes in their life cycles."

Continue to be on the lookout for ticks, too. They also don't die off until there's a hard freeze, and they've been bad in recent years because of mild winters, he said.

"There are some strange things happening," agreed Amy Stone, extension educator with Ohio State University in Lucas County.

Plants such as irises and lilacs are blooming or reblooming, she said.

But Ty Higgins, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation spokesman, said northwest Ohio farmers who plant cover crops after fall harvest of their cash crops are benefitting from the warmer weather.

Seeds from those cover crops developed quickly, he said.

"That is a good thing for water quality and nutrient management," Mr. Higgins said.

The warmer weather is also drying out fields after rain faster, which means the fall harvest hasn't been delayed, he said.

Perrysburg Township farmer Kris Swartz wasn't quite so enthusiastic about the situation, though.

"At least locally, unfortunately, the warm has come with wet. Even the warm temps haven't gotten us back in the field much, not many acres of wheat planted and cover crop acres are likely to be reduced," he said. "Personally, I haven't been able to seed cover crop following wheat crop."

But in fields where farmers have been able to plant cover crops or wheat, the plants have grown so fast they have practically "jumped out of the ground," he said.

Richard Rood, a University of Michigan professor of climate, space sciences, and engineering, said this fall's warmth and wetness in the Great Lakes region is wholly consistent with climate change and expected to continue.

"The planet is warm and it's getting warmer. There's no weather unaffected by extra energy in the system," Mr. Rood said. "The eastern half of the United States has been very wet, actually, for a number of years now, and that comes from warming."

The biggest change, though, isn't the heat of the day.

It's the warming nighttime temperatures, Mr. Rood said.

"Where that has an effect is it doesn't cool down enough every day," he said. "This sort of warming and associated moisture is going to be more common."

For now, though, the October warmth has made it possible to sit outside and enjoy sips of wine or beer later in the season at favorite restaurant patios, provided the yellowjackets don't get too aggressive.

While a local pool supply business said there hasn't been a rush on chlorine and other pool supplies, residents have been extending other outdoor activities such as bicycling and hiking.

Area metroparks are busy.

"Fall is our time to shine," Scott Carpenter, Metroparks Toledo spokesman, said. "Local forecasts call for peak fall color around Halloween, but the period leading up to the peak is beautiful, too, because the early colors stand out against the green canopy."

Mr. Carpenter said October "is a great time of year to begin a habit of taking a daily walk in the park because you will see something new every day."

And, if Monday's 85-degree temperature threw you for a loop, there's a reason for that.

According to a University of Michigan research study published 17 years ago, mental health benefits from at least 30 minutes a day in warm, sunny weather.

Too hot, though, and your mind is irritated. Same as if it's too cold.

The optimal outdoor temperature for most Americans is 72 degrees, which is about the same as room temperature. Researchers in that 2004 study found "mood decreasing if temperatures became significantly higher or lower."

"There were regional differences, however, with mood peaking at 65 degrees in Michigan and 86 degrees in considerably warmer Texas," U-M's news service wrote.

First Published October 11, 2021, 7:14pm